Neolithic Crop Marking on South Field, Eton Wick.

South Field - Courtesy of Google Map

In 1984 an archaeological dig and field walk led by Steven Ford was undertaken to investigate an area of crop markings that became visible in Eton Wick's South Field on aerial photographs taken in May 1976. These crop markings are currently visible on Google Maps satellite view.

The summary of the report about the excavation that was published in the Berkshire Archeological Journal, Volume 74, 1991-3 states;

Six trial trenches were excavated across various cropmarks in 1984-5. A ditch terminal of a Neolithic causewayed enclosure, Late Bronze Age ditches, and a probable Late Iron Age enclosure were identified, along with another enclosure of prehistoric date. 

 Site map courtesy of the Berkshire Archeological Journal

Artefacts recovered included pottery shards, flints and animal bones including an antler comb.

The discovery of a Neolithic community near the north bank of the River Thames revealed that Eton Wick has a history that dates back over 5,500 years!

The full report can be read on the Archaeology Data Service website. 

Historic England's PastScape website also has information on the causewayed enclosure at Eton Wick.

Towards a New Stone Age: aspects of the Neolithic in south-east England. This book places the site at South Field, Eton Wick in a broader context was published by the Council for British Archaeology in 2004 edited by Jonathan Cotton and David Field.